according to ESPN, Hawks moving in on Dalembert...

[flava]

Philly GM says Dalembert will remain a Sixer

By Chad Ford

ESPN Insider

It looks like negotiations between the Philadelphia 76ers and restricted free agent Samuel Dalembert took a turn for the worse on Monday.

The two sides have been negotiating for three weeks but have been unable to come to terms on a new contract. Over the course of the last week, there has been a great level of frustration on both sides.

On Monday, Dalembert's agent, Marc Cornstein, said Dalembert had scheduled a visit in Atlanta with the Hawks on Monday, July 25.

In an e-mail to Insider, Sixers general manager Billy King said the Sixers are still determined to match any offer for Dalembert.

"Sam will be in Philly whether it is at our number or a number that someone else sets," King wrote. "HE WILL BE IN PHILADELPHIA ONE WAY OR ANOTHER."

When asked about King's stance, Cornstein acted surprised.

"We're getting mixed messages," Cornstein said. "They've drawn a line in the sand with Sammy's contract with what they're willing to pay. Yet he's telling you they'll match any offer. There is a huge gap between Philadelphia's offer and what other teams under the salary cap can offer."

The Hawks are roughly $23 million under the cap -- enough money to make a run at two top-tier free agents. The Hawks are believed to have earmarked roughly half that amount for free agent Joe Johnson. They want to add a center with the rest of it. Restricted free agent Eddy Curry visited the Hawks last week, but left Atlanta without a contract offer.

If the Hawks do sign Dalembert to an offer sheet (when the player signing moratorium ends), the Sixers would have seven days to match the offer.

Of the three top free agent big men on the market -- Curry and Tyson Chandler are the other two -- Dalembert has the most upside. He has great range and is athletic, with great shot blocking instincts. He's shown he can be a volume rebounder and his offensive game is emerging. He was very inconsistent at times this season, but in the playoffs against the Pistons, he played the part of a franchise center, averaging 12.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs against the Pistons' tough front line.

The Sixers made a power move this offseason, firing head coach Jim O'Brien, who wasn't a Dalembert fan, and replacing him with Mo Cheeks, who is. Philly let it be known that O'Brien was fired, in part, because the Sixers are committed to Dalembert. That's been enough to discourage other teams from pursuing Dalembert.

However, Philly apparently has drawn a line in the sand millions away from a max-type offer Dalembert is seeking. Dalembert, who's had a rocky four years, with four different coaches in just the last two years, hasn't been impressed.

[Nicholasp27]

FINALLY

some good news!!

it's about time

daly is the best of the centers this year (chandler is close 2nd, but the back and worse offense put him lower)...he has shown so many glimpses and his only problem was inconsistent minutes from his coach...when he got time, he shined

he's easily a 10/10/2 player, if not 12/12/3

give him that offer and make them match bk!

i bet they won't match a close-to-max contract

please let us get him instead of curry

[Spiral]

I agree, let's make Philly sweat. Maybe BK can get Arthur Blank to treat Dalembert to dinner at his house while he's in town.

[djcorley]

I wouldn't waste time with Dalembert. The only way we get him is sign and trade if he says he doesn't want to be there. Philly knows they're probably gonna have to pay him max money to keep him. Because they expect a team like us to offer him that kinda money thinking it's the only way Philly will sweat a little and maybe balk at matching.

Bottom line is he's gonna be in Philly period.

I say we move on and play the Chicago situation and maybe end up with Chandler instead of Curry...At worst we'll end up with a young 7 footer with skills to score the ball which we so badly need. If Dampier can get 70mil we should know we're gonna have to pay Curry or Chandler at least that much.

We're on the move baby!

[Traceman]

He avearged almost 2 more rbg and only .2 pt less per game than Dalembert. He also averaged slightly more bpg. Chandler is younger and 3 inches taller.

Everyone talks about his "inconsistent minutes." Maybe they were inconsistent because HE was inconsistent. In other words, maybe he didn't "shine" when he got minutes, maybe he got minutes when he "shined." Curry had the same issues in Chicago. He got pulled a lot when Skiles was unhappy with something he did, particularly in the 4th quarter. Should Skiles have allowed him to play through his mistakes or was he right to pull him?

You say Dalembert is easily a 10/10/2 player. MAYBE he is but is that max salary level production? 12/12/3 MIGHT be but he has a LONG way to go to get there. He'll have to improve by 4 ppg and 4.5 rbg. I think that is a bit much to ask.

[mrhonline]

Trace, that was definitely true with Daly in the past. But, this year, Dalembert EARNED the minutes and they gave them to Marc Jackson.

He has a legit beef.

[Seano]

Quote:

---

"Sam will be in Philly whether it is at our number or a number that someone else sets," King wrote. "HE WILL BE IN PHILADELPHIA ONE WAY OR ANOTHER."

---

Interestink, very very interestink.

I find it very odd that King would show his hand that way, unless it's just bluff and bluster. But if that's the way he wants it- then offer Dalembert the max. We've got nothing to lose by doing that. At best we'd end up with Dalembert- at worst we'd be hamstringing another Eastern Conference competitor's payroll.

[mrhonline]

I agree. Offer the max to JJ and Daly this Friday.

If they're both maxed, put the money in a pot and try again in February to make drastic changes.

[OGRat]

At first read I thought that this sounded like another case of a FA using the Hawks to influence negotiations with his team. The more I think about it though, three weeks negotiating is a long time. This is starting to look like a team attempting to get something for a player they can't resign.

While Philly seemed more than committed to resigning Sammy, could they just be looking to fill a need by getting something in exchange for him?

But who do we have that they might want? They might want Al to ease the load on Webber. They might want Chill, but they have Korver (a better shooter, rfa) and Iggy (a better athlete). They also have Green(rfa) who couldn't get consistent playing time last year.

I could see Diaw being a good fit for AI as he could D the big guard and could let AI take all the shots he won't take. I just don't see them wanting Diaw.

I could see philly wanting Smoove more, but I don't see the Hawks trading Smoove. I could see that killing any possible deal.

Who might Philly want?

[mrhonline]

Philly *should* want two things at a minimum:

1. Either Childress -or- Harrington.

2. A draft pick.

[f_town]

man im gonna have a party if we by some miracle get Daly...

w00T!

[Nicholasp27]

i said why

his back

[Nicholasp27]

i don't care what philly wants

we don't give htem anything for daly

we throw deal out there and if they match, they match

if bk gives them al for daly (then signed to less-than-max deal), then i'll be OK with it, but not chill/smoove/marvin/1stroundpicks

[DJ_Money]

I refuse to believe that Billy King and Chad Ford are e-mail buddies.

[sfg4gsw]

I agree with everyone that says to offer the max and see what Philly does. I thought Dalembert showed he can play in the second half of the 03-04 season. I think he's more proven than any of the other FA big men out there. It's time to make Philly sweat. How often do you have a chance at getting a young, mobile, athletic, shot blocking big man?

[Weez]

do people not understand the ramifications of a 'max contract/player'?

Dalembert is not that. Ben Wallace is 'questionably that'...

[Gray Mule]

An example of where we stand:

A young boy's mother gave him two apples, a big one and

a little one. "Give your sister her choice and you may

have the other one."

Later, the sister came into the room, eating the small

apple. "I told your brother to give you your choice.

Why are you eating the little apple?"

"Oh, he gave me my choice. He said I could have this

little apple or I could do without!"

Will the Hawks have a choice. Yes! If we don't overpay

by offeing more money than the opposition, we won't get

the players we need.

We know that we have the other teams over a barrel as

far as money and cap space goes, but they also have us

in a corner. These players won't come to Atlanta

unless we make it worth their while.

If we were playoff contenders already, players would

want to go with us - Be with the winners. We're not.

We might be IF they will come play for us. But, why

take that chance. We know what the other team has. We

just stay here - PROVIDING the money is about the

same. But, big money talks and players walk.

Will Hawks have to overpay? Probably. And, if these

players sign our offer sheet and their team match,

we are forcing their payroll upward. How much of this

can they absorb?

We may get none of these players. But, if we don't,

we will still have money and the ability to keep forcing the issue, time after time, until something breaks!

I'd much rather be in our position than that of the

other teams with their restricted free agents.

GO HAWKS !!!!

[Traceman]

max and I sure as heck don't think Dalembert is. Dalembert can only hope to be half as good as Big Ben one day but I still question whether or not the skills Ben brings to the table (rebounding, shotblocking and D) are worth a max contract.

[Sevin]

Hey we've go to overpay on these RFA's or their teams will just match. What the heck else are we gonna do?

[emorystar]

Billy Knight is too smart to give bums like Curry, Dalembert, and Chandler anywhere even close to the maximum offer. At least, I hope he is too smart to do that. You re-build in the NBA by drafting well and using your FA money smartly. Signing big men who have no BBall IQ and who will never realize their potential to max contracts is not the way to go.